


even if darkness comes

by kihyuks



Series: hyungwon bingo [2]
Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, Cabins, Cat/Human Hybrids, Falling In Love, Fluff, Hybrids, M/M, Witches, changkyun is a witch, hyungwon is a cat hybrid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2020-05-20 20:52:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19384444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kihyuks/pseuds/kihyuks
Summary: changkyun's lived alone in his cabin in the woods for years now. one day, a boy knocks on his door looking for a place to stay. changkyun teaches him about magic and falls in love with him along the way.





	even if darkness comes

**Author's Note:**

> for the **witch/cabin** squares.
> 
> i wrote this ages ago but couldnt be bothered to edit it in typical alex fashion i also need to stop writing hyungwon as a kitty (but do i rly have to stop)
> 
> if anything is inaccurate to witchcraft i am Sorry i did my best w research n making stuff as accurate as possible but i dont know a lot n may have made mistakes so. if there r inaccuracies pls try ignore them but you're free to send me a message n correct me abt it so i know better in the future (i know its often spelt magick but im using the 'magic' spelling for the sake of this fic)

A cabin sits alone deep in the thick of the woods. From the outside it appears empty. Abandoned. The wood is beginning to decay. Ivy crawls along the walls, engulfing the small building. The bushes and plantlife surrounding it are overgrown, unkempt.

But the cabin is not empty, in fact, for a young witch resides inside.

Inside the cabin is much different to the outside. The walls are decorated with drying herbs. The delightful aroma of lavender wafts through the house. Subtle, but calming.

The witch sits in his chair in the centre of the living room. A small fire burns, providing him with warmth. He strokes a small white puppy plushie, a gift from his former friend.

He sighs, thinking back to how his life used to be. Previously, Changkyun was well loved in his community. He was respected, providing the people with any remedied and help they may need, and using his magic to support the community and bring positivity. He’s greet his neighbours with a smile and a ‘good morning’, to which they’d return the same gesture. He’d been given gifts as thanks for helping someone’s partner, child, pet, friend.

Magic was respected. He was respected.

Then, the warlock arrived. He wreaked havoc across their village, destroying people’s homes and their crops, ruining people’s livelihoods, cursing people who so much as even looked at him the wrong way, all for his own selfish gain.

He left, eventually, after destroying everything he could, but it wasn’t the same for Changkyun after. He was shunned, no longer wanted, for magic was now seen as something harmful, something dangerous.

Changkyun would never use his magic for harm, for magic is something positive, used to heal and help and provide. But the people couldn’t see that anymore. They associated Changkyun with the vengeful warlock and he was no longer seen as an asset to the community. No one responded to his greetings anymore. No one would come to him for help. All they could see magic as was something evil.

Changkyun was forced to leave his village, to leave his people behind, to live alone in isolation, out in the woods.

Changkyun sighs once again. It’s a lonely life he lives now. He misses his community. He misses being able to help people, to have a positive impact on other people’s lives. All he can do now is use his magic to help nature grow.

Of course he loves nature, he loves to help provide for it, but it isn’t the same as seeing someone’s face light up when you provide them with a remedy that improves their life, even if only just a little bit. Using his magic to help people was rewarding, but he wasn’t able to help anymore.

He misses it all, but there’s nothing he can do about it now. Magic is no longer accepted in his village or any of the neighbouring towns and he has to learn to accept it, even if it may be hard.

He’s made attempts to befriend some of the woodland fae, but they remain wary of him. He understands. Even if he has magic, he’s only a human, and the fae do not trust humans.

He believes there might be dryads around, but they are shy creatures and he hasn’t managed to see any yet, let alone attempt to contact them.

It’s a lonely life being shunned by humans for having magic, but not accepted by the other magical for being human. Changkyun feels lost, out of place, like he doesn’t belong anywhere.

He pushes himself out of his chair with a groan, his back stiff from having sat in the same position for so long. He puts out the fire and stumbles into his room, the exhaustion already beginning to take over. 

He settles into his bed, the plushie in his arms, a constant reminder of the life he used to have and the people he’s now lost.

A single tear rolls down Changkyun’s cheek and splashes onto his pillow, just before he slips into a dreamless sleep.

 

* * *

 

Changkyun wakes up well-rested and ready to start his day. The birds sing outside and the warm early morning sun filters through his window. He decides it’s going to be a good day.

Changkyun hums to himself as he prepares for the day. He hums as he changes into his new clothes. He hums as he lights the fire, as even if the sun is shining it’s approaching winter rather fast and he doesn’t want to risk being cold. He hums as he grinds up a mix of herbs, preparing himself a concoction for positivity to go into his morning tea.

As he settles into his chair, his mug of tea in one hand and a worn, old book which he’s read many times before in the other, Changkyun is startled by a knock on his door.

No one has ever knocked on his door, not once in the three years he’s lived alone in his cabin in the woods.

He places his mug down on the floor, his book down next to it and stands, slowly. He approaches the door with caution, wary of what might be waiting for him on the other side. The village people no longer like magic folk and there’s always a chance one of them has finally come to rid of him.

Changkyun peers through the peephole and spies a mop of soft, fluffy pink hair along with pink… ears?

Changkyun is more than confused, but risks opening the door anyway. There definitely isn’t anyone from the village with pink hair, let alone ears, he knows that for sure.

The door opens to reveal a tall boy with the pink hair and ears that Changkyun had seen through the peephole paired with an equally as pink tail that he has wrapped around his body. His big brown eyes are shining with tears and Changkyun instantly ushers him inside, ignoring the fact that he’s a complete stranger.

“Are you okay?” he asks, concerned.

The boy nods, but his eyes still shine with tears. He hunches in on himself, trying to make himself smaller.

Changkyun shuts the door and locks it then urges the boy to follow him. “Come with me. I’ll get you some tea.”

He sits the boy down in his chair in front of the fire, taking his unfinished tea into the kitchen. Changkyun sips on his own tea as he makes another mug. He adds some chamomile into the boiling water, deciding that it would be the best type of tea to try and calm the boy down and relax him.

As he lets the tea steep, he thinks about the boy in the other room. He seemed so scared, so sad that Changkyun’s heart aches for him. His ears and tail were a shock, especially in such a bright colour, but it’s not like Changkyun’s never heard of hybrids before. They’re just extremely rare and he’s never had a chance to meet one in person before.

Once the tea is done, Changkyun returns to the living room. There, he finds the boy curled up on the floor in front of the fire. His teeth are chattering.

“Are you cold?” Changkyun asks approaching the boy carefully. He doesn’t want to alarm or scare him further.

The boy nods, his teeth still chattering. He avoids making eye contact with Changkyun.

“Drink this. It’ll warm you up.” He places the mug down in front of the boy and then goes to pick out a blanket from his closet. He finds the fluffiest one he can and brings it to the boy, placing it carefully around his shoulders.

Changkyun takes a seat on his chair and smiles at the boy as he sips his tea. He looks a lot more relaxed than he did when he showed up. “What’s your name?”

“Hyungwon,” he replies, speaking quietly. “What’s yours?”

“I’m Changkyun.”

They sit in silence after that as Hyungwon drinks his tea. Changkyun manages to read a few more pages in his book, too.

Hyungwon seems to relax even more as he continues to drink more of the tea. His shoulders are less hunched, and his body is less stiff. Changkyun is glad. He seemed really distressed when he turned up and Changkyun feels happy to know that he’s been able to help Hyungwon, even if only a little.

When Hyungwon finally finishes his tea, he turns to look at Changkyun, a small smile adorning his face. His tail flicks side to side behind him lazily. “Thank you, Changkyun.”

“No problem.”

Now that Hyungwon is less upset and more relaxed, Changkyun knows he needs to ask Hyungwon about why he’s here.

Before he manages to formulate a good question, Hyungwon is speaking. “Thank you for allowing me to come in. I’m sorry if I bothered you.”

Changkyun shakes his head. “Not at all.”

“I’m originally from a nearby town. I’m lived there my whole life.” Hyungwon looks down at his hands, fiddling with the end of his trousers as he talks. “Recently some hunters moved in and they immediately zoned in on me, being a cat hybrid and all. I was forced to run away to avoid them as I felt like I was in danger. I’ve been trying to find where to go for days and then I spotted your cabin. I wasn’t sure if anyone lived here, but I felt like it was my only chance to find help, so I knocked.” The upset has seeped back into his voice, but it doesn’t surprise Changkyun. It sounds like he’s had a hard time.

“You must be exhausted. You can sleep here for as long as you want.” And Changkyun means it. He knows how hard it is to lose your home, to leave your life behind you.

Hyungwon looks up, his mouth open in shock. “You’d really let me stay? I don’t want to inconvenience you.”

“Of course. I’ve been through something similar.” He chooses not to expand on it and Hyungwon doesn’t ask.

Changkyun stands up and stretches. “Would you like to sleep? I can show you to the spare bedroom. I doubt you’ve had much sleep in the last few days.”

Hyungwon yawns in his place on the floor and nods. He pushes himself up off the floor with a groan and trails after Changkyun as he leads him to his extra room.

The room is used as Changkyun’s storage room so there are tons of spell jars and jars of dried herbs sitting on all the shelves. Hyungwon’s eyes trail over them in fascination.

“I’ll leave you to sleep. Come find me if you need anything.”

Hyungwon gives a thankful smile and settles into the bed, the fuzzy blanket still wrapped around his shoulders. 

Changkyun shuts the door quietly with a small smile, glad his new guest seems comfortable.

 

* * *

 

Changkyun wakes up first, right as the sun rises. He takes a moment to appreciate the way the morning light shines into his room, creating a soft warm golden glow.

He pushes himself out of bed, knowing he needs to get himself up now before he spends most of his morning tucked away in his duvet. He has a guest, after all.

Changkyun makes two cups of tea, making sure to stir both clockwise and muttering an enchantment for happiness as he does so. He figures Hyungwon could do with a little bit of happiness and there’s nothing wrong with encouraging it for himself, too.

As he settles into his usual chair with his drink, a mop of pink hair peeks around the doorway. “Changkyun?”

“Yes?”

“Is it okay if I borrow your bath?” Hyungwon sounds nervous. “It’s fine if not. I don’t want to be a bother.”

“Of course it’s fine. Go ahead, I’ll be out here when you’re done. Towels are in the cupboard outside.”

Hyungwon gives him a smile, a ‘thanks’, and then slips away.

Changkyun realises, a few minutes later, he forgot to tell Hyungwon about his tea. He grabs the abandoned mug and heads to the bathroom. He can hear splashing about inside so he knocks quietly. “I made you tea. I forgot to give it to you.”

It goes quiet inside, then Hyungwon says, “You can come in. I’m decent.”

Changkyun opens the door to find Hyungwon thankfully still dressed sitting at the edge of the bath. It’s bubbly and full and Changkyun would definitely enjoy if it if was a bath for him. It looks inviting.

“Here you go.” Changkyun places down a mug on the stool he’d left in the bathroom a while ago which now comes in handy as a little table.

“Thank you.”

Changkyun turns to leave, then pauses. “Hey, do you want to learn about bath magic?”

Hyungwon’s eyes light up in excitement. “You can teach me about magic?”

“Of course.” Changkyun smiles widely, happy he finally has the chance to talk about magic with someone for the first time in years. “So, in the cupboard over here,” he opens said cupboard as he speaks, “I have a bunch of things you can use. Everything’s labelled with its name and properties. Pick out anything you want that has the properties you’re looking for and add it in. You can also try come up with a spell to say if you want to. It doesn’t have to be anything complicated.”

Hyungwon, who’s been nodding along as Changkyun spoke, furrows his eyebrows. “It’s that easy?”

“Magic is about intent. If you put your energy and intent into it, as well as items that have useful corresponding properties, you can do magic.”

Hyungwon smiles and nods. “One last question. Do you have any poppy petals? I don’t know what their properties are, I just really like them.”

Changkyun nods and rummages around in the cupboard until he finds the jar with dried poppy petals. “Love, money, luck, sleep, among other things.” He hands the jar over to which Hyungwon gives a grateful smile.

“Thank you, Changkyun.” 

Changkyun nods, smiles, and then leaves Hyungwon to his bath. The smile stays on his face as he returns to the living room, happy that Hyungwon is so interested in magic and he gets to talk about it and share his knowledge with someone.

 

* * *

 

Changkyun gets used to having Hyungwon around rather quickly. Hyungwon had asked how long he’s allowed to stay and Changkyun had told him to stay as long as he needed. It’s not like Changkyun needs a cabin as big as he owns just for himself, and he’s really come to enjoy Hyungwon’s company. It’s an added benefit that it helps with the loneliness he’s felt for so long having been isolated. The thought of Hyungwon leaving and Changkyun being alone once again saddens him more than he can say.

“Changkyun? Can you teach me about crystals?” Hyungwon asks one day. He’s sitting on Changkyun’s living room floor, in front of the fire for warmth, a collection of Changkyun’s crystals laid on the ground in front of him. He’d taken an immediate interest when he’d seen them, asking Changkyun if he could take a closer look. Hyungwon brought them back out a couple of times since, studying each of them in fascination, even if it’s one Changkyun knows he’s looked over multiple times before.

Changkyun sits down across from Hyungwon on the floor, bringing a blanket with him. It’s much colder now and Changkyun rarely is seen without a blanket wrapped around him. There was no heating in the cabin as it was old, only the fire to keep them warm. Blankets were much needed. “Which is your favourite?”

Hyungwon picks up a small, tumbled pink crystal. A rose quartz, Changkyun realises.

“It matches your hair.”

Hyungwon holds it up, close to his head, looking up and trying to compare it to the hair on his head, but it’s rather unsuccessful.

“The fur on your tail, it’s the same colour,” Changkyun points out, smiling at how adorable Hyungwon is being.

Hyungwon blushes and bites his lip. “I forgot,” he says sheepishly.

Changkyun grins at him. He knows he shouldn’t be feeling things for someone he’s barely just met, especially now it seems like they’re going to be living together, but he can’t help it. Hyungwon is just so sweet and adorable.

After Hyungwon’s blush fades away, Changkyun remembers that they were actually talking about his crystals. “Rose quartz is used to promote love of all kinds. Self love, platonic love, romantic love, you name it.”

Hyungwon nods to show he’s listening. “It’s pretty. I like it.”

“You can have it, if you want.”

Hyungwon frowns at him, tilting his head to the side. “But it’s yours?”

Changkyun chuckles lightly. “I’m a witch. I have more than enough crystals. It’s yours, if you want it.”

Hyungwon smiles, wide, and his eyes light up. He holds the crystal tightly in his hand. 

Changkyun decides he’d do anything to see Hyungwon smile like that again.

 

* * *

 

The weeks go by. Changkyun and Hyungwon get closer and Hyungwon ends up telling Changkyun that he’d like to stay permanently, which Changkyun obviously has no problem with.

The more time that passes, the more Changkyun’s feelings develop.

He realises just how much he likes Hyungwon when they’re chatting in the kitchen. Changkyun is teaching Hyungwon about herbs and their properties. Hyungwon starts to make his first tea using the herbs he’s picked out with the knowledge Changkyun gave him. The setting sun sends a warm glow through the window and it hits Hyungwon’s face just right and Changkyun thinks he’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. 

It hits him at that moment that he’s falling for the boy with the pink cat ears who turned up at his door one day, scared and alone.

It doesn’t change things, not really, just that Changkyun becomes more aware of the little things. The small touches between them, the looks Hyungwon gives him when he thinks Changkyun isn’t looking, the way Hyungwon blushes whenever Changkyun compliments him.

Changkyun thinks that maybe, just maybe, Hyungwon might feel the same. He doesn’t say anything, though, afraid to ruin what they already have.

Changkyun is in his bed, reading his book before he goes to sleep.

There’s a quiet knock on his door. There’s only one person it could be, of course.

“Come in.”

Hyungwon enters. He’s wearing an oversized jumper, his hands covered by the sleeves, and he looks exhausted. “I can’t sleep. Can I sleep here?”

It’s not the first time he’s asked, they shared a bed a few times, but usually it’s because he woke up because of a nightmare, not because he can’t sleep.

Changkyun nods and puts his book down on his bedside table. Hyungwon joins him in the bed, curling up as small as he can. When he settles and is comfortable, Changkyun threads his fingers into Hyungwon’s hair, between his ears. He scratches lightly, trying to comfort Hyungwon.

It works, because quiet purrs sound from Hyungwon and he reaches into Changkyun’s touch.

“Are you okay?” Changkyun asks, continuing with the scratching.

Hyungwon sighs. He rolls over, burying his face into Changkyun’s chest. “I was overthinking,” he mumbles against Changkyun.

“About what?”

He’s quiet for a moment. “Do you ever feel like an outcast?”

Changkyun looks down sadly at Hyungwon. “Yeah, I do.”

They both go quiet for a moment. Hyungwon purrs quietly when Changkyun scratches just in the right spot, but otherwise neither of them make a sound.

“I feel like I don’t belong sometimes,” Hyungwon admits. “I’m not accepted by humans because I’m part cat, but I’m definitely not accepted by cats, either.”

Changkyun, unfortunately, knows exactly how that feels. “I felt like that for a long time. The humans didn’t want me because I’m a witch and I use magic, but magical beings are wary of me because I’m technically a human.” He pauses. “At least we always have each other.”

“Always?” Hyungwon asks. He peeks up at Changkyun’s face, his cheeks red.

Changkyun is overwhelmed with his feelings, unable to control them, and he blurts out, “I think I might be falling in love with you.”

Hyungwon’s eyes go wide and his cheeks get redder.

When he doesn’t reply, Changkyun starts to panic, starts to think he read the signs wrong and Hyungwon doesn’t feel the same. Before he can say a word, though, Hyungwon shuffles up on the bed and plants a kiss on the tip of Changkyun’s nose, giggling right after.

Now, Changkyun is just confused. “What was that for?”

“I’m falling for you too,” Hyungwon whispers. He throws an arm around Changkyun and cuddles closer to him.

With Hyungwon in his arms, Changkyun thinks that maybe everything was worth it. The loneliness and isolation was worth it. Because without experiencing it, he’d have never met Hyungwon, and he’d have never got to experience the overwhelming love and happiness he feels when Hyungwon cuddles closer to him and purrs quietly.

Changkyun plants a kiss on the top of Hyungwon’s head and closes his eyes, letting sleep overtake him.

**Author's Note:**

> kudos n comments appreciated :3
> 
> twitter: [@changkihyks](http://twitter.com/changkihyks/)  
> cc: [changkihyks](https://curiouscat.me/changkihyks?t=1559413679/)


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